A Closer Look

With 183 pledgers in 23 countries and more than $994 billion in combined net worth, we're taking a closer look, following trends in giving interests, age and wealth distribution, geography, and industry.

Geographic Distribution

Around the WorldAmong the 183 Giving Pledge households, 40 reside outside the United States with a combined net worth of more than $127 billion. The highest concentration of pledgers outside the U.S. is in the United Kingdom, where the 10 Giving Pledge households have a combined net worth of more than $20 billion. The 8 pledgers from India and the UAE have a combined net worth of more than $30 billion.

In the United StatesMore than half of the $861 billion in combined net worth of all pledgers in the United States is controlled by only 10 households. Of the 143 Giving Pledge households in the United States, 46 are in California, representing a combined net worth of more than $300 billion.

Giving Interests

While the interests of Giving Pledge participants in health, human services, education, and arts & culture mirror the findings of the Giving USA Annual Report on Philanthropy, pledgers also show an interest in a diverse range of other areas.

Age Distribution

With the passing of David Rockefeller in 2017, Australia's Leonard Ainsworth now claims the mantle as the oldest pledger (at 95) while Cari Tuna remains the youngest (at 32). The median age of pledgers is 68, with those age 65-79 representing nearly one of every two dollars in net worth.

Industry Focus

A deeper look at the industries represented by the Giving Pledge participants reveals strong showings from the financial and high-tech sectors, but also great diversity in the types of businesses participants pursued and the origins of their wealth. Outside the United States the mining and high-tech industries play a larger role as a source of wealth.

Version 2.0: the Giving Pledge Globalizes

They said that the Giving Pledge was "made in America," they said that Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett didn't understand other cultures, and that their brand of philanthropy was inappropriate for (substitute the country of your choice). They were wrong: the Giving Pledge has gone global.

In-Depth Reporting...

Not Just Cancer Research: Sidney Kimmel's Big-Time Philanthropy

Sidney Kimmel's philanthropy kicked into high gear after his apparel company Jones Group went public in the 1990s. Since then, Kimmel has reportedly donated more than $500 million dollars, much of it to cancer research, but also to other science and medical research, as well as education and the arts.

Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor Invest in Social Change Not Scene

Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor - he a hedge fund billionaire turned heavy-hitter Democratic donor - live in San Francisco's outer Pacific Heights. They are one of the city's great philanthropic couples, but eschew the social scene in favor of pushing for social change, whether it's for a better environment or helping the disadvantaged.

Mark Zuckerberg and the Changing Face of Philanthropy

Mark Zuckerberg's recent gift of $500 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has people talking about the the Millenial generation and the long-term effect of their philanthropy. As the co-founder of Facebook said, when joining the Giving Pledge in 2010, "People wait until late in their careers to give back. But why wait when there is so much to be done?" Jereme Bivins, the Foundation Center's former social media manager, sees Zuckerberg's decision as a rallying cry that may well change the face of philanthropy.

Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

In 2008, as Wall Street seemed to crumble and investors headed for the doors, Warren Buffett was still actively investing billions of his own money. Buffett is equally famous for his plans to give the bulk of his fortune (now some $58 billion) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, in 2010, launching the Giving Pledge in partnership with the Gateses. In Alice Schroeder's 2008 biography of Buffett we learn about the fearlessness and focus that transformed a modest, plainspoken Nebraska boy into the Oracle of Omaha, a global cultural icon, and one of the world's leading philanthropists.